Another Path
by MasterwriterTO
Summary: A story about the different possibilities that could had happened during the Warrior's series and how it could affect life in the clans after the conclusion of "New Hope." The first chapter sets the stage for the rest of the story. Rated T for violence and loving moments.
1. Chapter 1

Another Path

After the fall of the dark forest warriors the lake clan cats were finally able to take a quick breather and return to their life as usual. Leaf-bare came and soon new-leaf brought new life for all of the clans near the lake. Life in the clans had returned to normal, the prey was running strong and new kits were being born while apprentices were becoming warriors. Jayfeather was laying by the lake side on the Thunderclan side of the lake, he was seeming to be looking for something but all he wanted was the chance to be alone and get away from everything and everyone.

Ever since his sister Hollyleaf had died he had been feeling depressed and lost more than when he though his sister had died in that cave all of those moons ago. Jayfeather dipped a paw into the cool lake water and felt its cooling sensation wash over his hot paws and gave him slight comfort. He was part of the three who were meant to hold the stars in their paws and he wasn't even able to save his sister from dieing at the paws of the dark forest warriors who and threatened their home only a few moons ago. There wasn't a day that went by that he wasn't looking for Hollyleaf up in Star Clan and wishing to tell her how much he missed her. Jayfeather was so into his thoughts that he didn't even hear that someone was sneaking up behind him to give the medicine cat a wake up call as he was tapped on his shoulder.

"AH! !" Jayfeather cried as he jumped in the air and turned around to see his brother snickering.

"Some of the best ears in the camp and you didn't hear me coming up. Your getting sloppy Jayfeather." A very happy Lionblaze said as he sat down next to Jayfeather. The medicine cat licked his paw and began grooming himself as he was trying to regain his composure.

"I was...deep in thought." Jayfeather said as he gives his paw few quick licks and started grooming himself embarrassed that he had let his brother of all felines to catch him napping.

"Still thinking about her?" Lionblaze asked and Jayfeather could sense that his brother was feeling awful about their sister's death as well but was trying to hide it. The biggest thing that was keeping his brother from feeling depressed was Cinderheart. The pair over Leaf-Bare continued to grow closer and closer spending most nights sneaking out of camp to spend time together by the lake. At this pace Jayfeather was expecting for Cinderheart to come into his den complaining of about being too tired or feeling sick and coming out announcing to the clan that she was pregenent. For Jayfeather the last thing he wanted to hear such news for some odd reason. Looking to the side Jayfeather wondered if he was jealous of Cinderheart?

Jayfeather looked at his brother with his blind blue eyes and felt his brother's unease. "Everyday." .

"To bad you can't take a mate for yourself. You would make a great mate."

"Me?" Jayfeather asked feeling surprised. "I'm...blind who would want a blind tom for a mate? Besides can you see me taking care of kits? Barely can stand helping our clan members with their issues?"

"Briarlight might? Believe it or not she is able to bare you lack of patience for others." Jayfeather could sense that his brother was joking around a bit but serious at the same time. "Think about it she lives with you, is pretty much your apprentice and I know she has been mooning over you ever since before she got hurt."

"No thanks it goes against the medicine cat code. We are not able to take a mate." Jayfeather said bitterly. Truth be told even though he's only seen her in his dreams he was trying to not do anything with her those long nights when they are sleeping together. Being a medicine cat he wasn't allowed to take a mat and from time to time he regretted following the rules. Jayfeather was in love with Half-Moon but she was dead and walked in a different sky than he lived under.

"I know, I know don't worry just joking around with you." Jayfeather felt himself pushed by his brother and he felt a bit more annoyed than usual. Why was Lionblaze acting like he didn't care about anything when only a few moons ago they lost their sister.

"I need to go back, Brairlight should be done sorting all of the new herbs by now and I want to go take a nap while I have some free time. If you need me you know where to find me." With that he gets up to leave, though stop as he heard his brother speak up.

"You are not the only one who is still mourning Hollyleaf's death you know." Jayfeather didn't say anything else as he walked back to camp, his mind was filled with thoughts of both his sister and Brairlight. It was strange to have feelings for someone he almost has never seen and who was in a way his apprentice. Everything he has experienced with love and relationships with others it always ended terribly. Graystripe and Silverstream, Bluestar and Oakheart and the most famous of all of those Leafpool and Crowfeather his parents. What good could ever come of allowing your feeling's to guide you?

Back in camp Jayfeather walked into his den to hear Brairlight shuffling about the she-cat was tending to the minor chores in the den as she smelled of fresh herbs now after a few moons of working along side him. Jayfeather was beginning to enjoy returning home from working outside in the woods to find someone waiting for him as he felt something brush up against him.

"Hello Jayfeather how was your walk?" He heard the hopeful Brairlight ask. She has been asking him about his days more and more the she-cat always wanting details though Jayfeather was beginning to think she enjoyed hearing him talk more than what he had to say.

"Same as always it always is." He said enjoying the feeling of her up against him. Brairlight's scent filled his senses and eased his pain as the medicine cat gave a small purr. "Peaceful. Though..."

"You miss her a lot?" Briarlight asked nuzzling him. "Its tough losing a sibling. My brother and sister contently look at me with such hurt looks every time they see me and that tears me up inside. Blossomfall and Bumblestripe mean the world to me and seeing them uphappy..."

"I get it." Jayfeather snapped but not in a bad way. He's still the sharp tongued medicine cat he always was though was a bit less harsh than he was before the final battle. In part he had Brairlight to thank for that. She was able to handle him better than most other cats in the clan were able to and working for him puts her right in the line of fire every single moment of the day but she was seeming to handle it very well now. Jayfeather felt her nuzzle him more as she gave a small purr of amusement.

"Your not as bad as you try to make yourself out to be."

"Don't..." Jayfeather backed up, he couldn't see her face but just the way she was speaking was for some reason a turn on. Was it her voice or how she was speaking to him, no fear, no babying him like a kit for his disability just like they were old friends. Though a party of Jayfeather wanted to something a bit more, he wanted what his brother had with Cinderheart, what Squirrelflight has with Bramblestar. Even his mother and father were talking again at the Gatherings. Maybe he could never have kits with Brairlight but why should he deny himself a chance to experience happiness with her of some kind even if it was different from everyone else. "Don't...stop."

"Thats my Jayfeather." Heard her chuckle as Brairlight did as she was told with a smile. Jayfeather wasn't about to complain as this was what he wanted but as she slowly began to go down on him she stopped and seemed frozen in time...

"Brairlight?" Jayfeather asked outload and inspects her by rubbing her but she didn't respond. Jayfeather felt like the very air around him was frozen in place. Moving away from Brairlight Jayfeather moved outside to see if he could get some help and found that everyone outside were frozen in place as well no one moving around but were frozen like trees to where they were not moving a hair. Jayfeather didn't know if this could be a dream but why did everything feel so real though?

"What's going on here?"

"You are experiencing a Ripple of Time." A very familier voice spoke up. "Possibilities are able to be experienced and choices will be made. For every change made another possiblitity must be allowed to be accepted and by the end of your journey will you choose to live in your choice or will you wish nothing was ever changed in the first place."

"Rock...is that you?" Jayfeather was able to see again as he was standing in the familier unground tunnel that had been the meeting place between him and Rock for so long. Last time he was here he came with Dovewing and Lionblaze and were confronted by the Tribe of Endless Hunting who told them how to find the forth cat and ultimely defeat the Dark Forest cats. Now here he was again standing before the blind hairless cat that was able to see more than any other cat who ever walked these caves. "Is this a dream? I can see you-"

"This is a dream and not a dream. Dream enough for you to be able to see but real enough that will effect you in the real world if something was to happen to you. You Jayfeather have already noticed that time is standing still. Time has stopped because you have wished to change another's fates." The hairless tom appeared before him. Jayfeather was use to seeing the old feline but those blind white eyes would never ease to make him shiver as he tried to not look directly into them.

"Maybe but its because of other's mistakes that I was even born." Jayfeather said without even thinking over what Rock just said entirely. Rock was speaking about the impossible anyway, there was no way for anyone to change the past none the less know how it would affect the present and future.

"Brairlight wasn't suppose to have her legs crippled that day when the tree feel down ontop of her back and you know this." Rock spoke calmly. "And before you ask I came here to give you a chance to go back in time and save her from her fate.

"What..." Jayfeather did know how Rock knew all of this or how he knew how he felt about Brairlight. "Will she still-"

"Her feelings about you will be slightly changed but if you two were meant to be it will not take you long to make her have feelings for you again."

"What's the draw back?" Since Jayfeather knew there always was one.

"If you change her fate then you must allow someone else to change thier's as well. If I allow you to change Brairlight's fate then you must allow me to give someone else a chance to change their fate as well." Rock explained. "One selfish act for another."

"I don't know..." Jayfeather thought about his friend and felt terrible for what happened to her. Jayfeather knew he had strong feelings for her and wanted to help her so badly." Ok, lets do it."

Rock smiled and with a flash of light Jayfeather was once again blinded as he was being transported though time itself to the point in time when Brairlight lost it all. But will Jayfeather find a chance for love with the she-cat or find out that playing with time could leave him in a very hard place.


	2. A Love that Can not be Crippled

Jayfeather

A Love that can not be Crippled

Jayfeather blinked a few times as he found himself standing outside of the camp, the world was still bright to him but...wait a minute he could see? Jayfeather was able to see that he was outside of the camp and that could only mean that he was in a dream of some kind and that none of this could possibly be happening. Go figure the gray cat thought as he popped his head inside though the bracken that lined the outside of the entrance. Down below he saw all of his clan members walking around not paying him any attention at the moment.

Brambleclaw was walking around thinking of who to place on the next patrol, if this was the time period he though it was there was growing tension between Thunderclan and Shadowclan thanks to someone from Shadowclan coming into their territory. Firestar was most likely in his den and soon would be calling him and the other member's of the prophecy into his den to ask if anything new was happening and by that time Dovewing would hear the tree about to fall. Looking up Jayfeather saw the rain falling down on for the first time ever and a part of him didn't want it to end. The cool water pelting his face felt amazing for some reason, cooling and reassuring for some reason but then his face hardened as he looked forward towards his medicine cat den. Today was the day that Briarlight will be crippled for life and he wasn't about to let her lose everything she cared about a second time. Jayfeather walked into his den and everything was where he had left it that day, a slight mess but mostly because nothing can stay perfectly clean when when you can't see it.

"Jayfeather." It was Lionblaze at the entrance to his den and Jayfeather smiled since it wasn't usual for him to see his brother. "Hey how you doing?"

"I'm good...just catching myself up with a few things." Jayfeather reminded himself of why he was here and didn't want to forget it since a part of him wanted to just sit here and look at his brother and everyone else all day but Jayfeather knew he couldn't do that since Briarlight needed him more. Jayfeather didn't know if she would still care for him the way she did when he left, but he loved her enough to save her regardless.

"Firestar needs to see us." Lionblaze with that leaves and heads off to go pick up Dovewing or at this time was called Dovepaw. Jayfeather never saw her as a young 'paw' and he had to admit...she looked pretty good for her age. Shaking the thoughts of Dovepaw out of his mind he returned his focus back to saving Briarlight from her fate and hopefully changing her and his own past. Could they ever be together after this? There was only one thing left to do was move forward with his plan and follows his brother and Dovepaw into Firestar's den where the leader was waiting for them the flame colored tom walking pacing around his den until they walked in. Seeing them walk in Firestar stops pacing and looks eager to hear anything they had to report.

Jayfeather remembered this moment clearly as if he had been able to see it. Firestar asked them about any danger from Shadowclan and Jayfeather told him that Starclan hadn't spoken to him about anything. What happens next didn't surprise Jayfeather as Dovepaw began twitching her ears as she was catching the sounds of what most likely was the root of the brooch tree beginning to have its roots pulled out of the loose rain soaked ground.

"A tree is falling." Dovepaw announced

Just as Jayfeather remembered Firestar and Lionblaze's instints kicked in and they began to clear out the dens and get every cat out of the camp. Being told to check the medicine den Jayfeather ran out and into his den, once inside Jayfeather felt his head hurt a bit as he remembered what happened last time. He just checked inside and ran back out of his den and out of the hollow to safety but because he did that he lost countless leaves and tools of his trade from the damage from the tree falling ontop of his den. Last time he got Rosepetal to climb though the degry and get to his den. He needed poppy seeds and comfrey to treat Poppyfrost the last time and if for some reason history changed as it already was he'll need everything he could carry out. Taking a few leaves of comfrey he takes off outside racing past a few of his clan mates and outside to a safe distance and dropping the comfrey he had before heading back in to gather a few poppy seeds before heading back to safety. Stopping to see Dovepaw walking around the center of the camp trying to figure out which tree was going to fall.

"Get out of here now the tree will fall soon." At that moment Jayfeather felt his head hurting even more as history was quickly changing since he never was inside of the hollow and he knew from this point on every step he took was a gamble as history has changed and with it the possibilities were endless.

"Jayfeather what are you doing in here its dangers?" Lionblaze cried as he ran back in to get Dovewing out.

"I have to save as many herbs as possible, there is a chance that someone could get hurt and I need to be ready." Jayfeather tried to not mumble the poppy seeds still in his mouth. It took him a lot of practice to be able to still speak with the seeds in his mouth and not swallow. Running back outside of the hollow Jayfeather dropped the seeds next to the comfrey pile he had and looked around. Where was Briarpaw and Longtail? If he could stop either one of them then he might be able to save the cat he loved from her terrible fate. Cat he loved? It almost made him sick to his stomach because of how he felt for Half-Moon but...she was dead and Briarpaw later to be named Briarlight was here and now. Regardless no one deserved the fate that she has had to experience.

"Its falling." Dovewing cried as she was looking around and Jayfeather saw what she was talking about as the tree on the left side of the hollow began to come down the combination of the wind and the soften soil finally brought the breech tree down into the hollow and just as he remembered at that moment Mousefur was about to dart back into the hollow to try to catch a mouse and Longtail would go instead of her and Briarpaw...

"No she can't go." Jayfeather muttered to himself.

"Jayfeather..." he heard his mother say behind him. Jayfeather had been so focused on what was happening that he hadn't even noticed that she was sitting near him. He felt her despair hit him like a claw to his face and it was times like these that he loathed his ability to walk in other's dreams and feel their deepest thoughts and feelings. Believing that her children hated her hurt Leafspring just as much as losing the love of Crowfeather. But how much did he want to change history? What would happen if he did that now instead of before the final battle? Would they be able to regain all of that lost time hating one another?

Jayfeather turned his attention back to saving Briarpaw and he had to maintain his focus or else coming back here would mean nothing. No one foresaw how fast Jayfeather would move or how quickly he was able to get in Briarpaw's way as in a one leap was able to get right beside her and tackled the brown she cat to the ground.

"Someone hurry up and stop Mousefur and Longtail." Jayfeather ordered and watched Brambleclaw get in Mousefur's way while his brother stopped Longtail before he could rush down back into the camp to catch the mouse that Mousefur was hell bent on getting. Last time everything had happened so fast that no one was able to stop the elders from acting foolish and Briarpaw had suffered because of it.

"Jayfeather what are you doing?" Briarpaw asked looking like she couldn't believe that he was stopping her. "I need to save Longtail-" Just as she was speaking these words a loud crashing sound was heard from behind them as the tree crashed into the the hollow just as Jayfeather remembered it.

"Saving you. What were you thinking trying to go in there like that?" Jayfeather asked, he couldn't act to much out of character at least around everyone right now.

"But what are you talking about?" Briarpaw looked confused. "How were you able to know where I was moving I mean...being-"

"Blind?" Jayfeather asked and felt like lashing out at her but when he looked into her amber eyes he felt himself overcome by emotions that he could not describe. What was it about this she-cat that drove him to risk his own life and safety coming back here to do this?"

"I didn't mean it like that...Sorry Jayfeather." Briarpaw said looking away though Jayfeather could feel that she was feeling something very similer to what he was at the moment. Was it possible that she felt the same for him? Only time would tell. Finally after a moment or two and the feeling of knowing that a few of their clan mates were staring at him Jayfeather felt the wiggling of the brown apprentice under him."Jayfeather...can you get off of me your kind of crushing my chest." Briarpaw pointed out with a little chuckle.

"My baby." the loud meow of Millie brought Jayfeather back to reality and he was nearly pushed out of the way by the worried mother as she inspected her daughter from head to tail. "What were you thinking trying to back in there like that? You would had been crushed or worse killed?"

"I'm fine really Millie. I'm a warrior now." Briarpaw pointed out, she had just finished her warrior assement right before this had happened.

Jayfeather wanted to tell Briarpaw how he felt about her, tell her about how far he would go to protect her before he loved her enough to put his own life on the line for her. But before he could say any of this to her Jayfeather felt his head starting to hurt again this time worst than it had been before as time and history was changing. Jayfeather felt and saw new memories flash before his eyes so fast that he couldn't make anything out right away. Jayfeather couldn't stand straight any longer and falls over his vision beginning to black out as he was becoming blind again and he knew his time in this time period was coming to a end.

"Jayfeather!" Jayfeather heard the worried cry of someone near him and just as his vision was beginning to darken to much for him to be able to see he saw Briarpaw standing over him the she cat looking worried for him. "Wha-whats wrong with you? Are you hurt?"

"Do I look...I'll be fine." Jayfeather looked at her as he wanted Briarpaw to be the last image he saw before becoming blind again. "Briarpaw...I have to tell you that I...love you." And he meant every word of it as everything went black and once again Jayfeather was blind and passes out the pain in his head to much for him to bare. Jayfeather didn't know if he was returning to the future or if this was a side affect of changing to much of the time line but what ever it was he was glad that he was not only able to save Briarpaw from her terrible fate but also was able to finally admit to not only her but also himself the feelings he felt for her. Whatever happened now Jayfeather was ready for it even if it meant that he could lose the feeling's she had grown for him he will never give up the feelings he felt for her.

Jayfeather found himself back inside of the underground cave and was sitting by the rock stand that Rock always sat on top of whenever he came here. Looking up he saw the pale hairless cat staring down at him his sightless eyes seemed to be staring straight into his soul.

"How was your trip?" Rock asked smiling.

"Why are you asking me rhetorical questions, you already know that I changed history by saving Briarlight from being crippled?" Jayfeather asked. "You sent me back in time to save Briarlight yourself."

"You was suppose to save her life not confess your undieing love for her. Now you've created a history that I did not even foresee." Rock snapped. "You are a medicine cat and you know as well as I do that you just sent yourself and Briarlight down a path neither of you might be able to control."

"I'll take my chances. You owe me for Half-Moon." What happened next Jayfeather did see coming as the blind tom jumped down from his perch and lands on top of Jayfeather's back and pushed his head onto the rocks and gravel under them.

"I owe you nothing. Half-Moon's fate was decided long before you were even thought of." Rock hissed and Jayfeather felt the pressure pushed even more onto his head.

"So why...did you allow...me to go...back in time then?" Jayfeather asked and finally Rock lets him go and jumping back up onto the perch he loved to sit on.

"I am interested in seeing what would happen if things had turned out differently for not only you but several other cats who I feel were given the short end of life's stick." Rock said not in a mournful way but more as though it was more of a way of pleasing his curiosity than anything else. "Soon you will be allowed to return to your time period and experience what your choices have caused."

"When will that be?" Jayfeather asked feeling more and more like a prisoner.

"Soon, after a few more of your fellow felines have a chance to experience a chance to find out their own possibilities..."

Next: The Dove that Tamed a Tiger


End file.
